


Black Box

by KDNightshade



Category: Villainous (Cartoon)
Genre: Aliens, Angst, Black Hat Organization, Character Death, Character Revival, Company Family, Crash & Burn, Deeper connections, Demons, F/M, Five Stages of Grief, Frenemies, Government Secrets, Grand Arc, Lies & Betrayal, Lost & Found, Love is hard, M/M, Misleading Conversations, Mortal Realm, One bad thing after another, Original Character(s), Pledge of Souls, Setting Hopping, Shadow Realm, Shadow-spawn, Shadowlings, Stranded, Strength Through Struggle, Survival, Tests & Torture, The Greater Evil, Trauma, Trust & Loyalty Issues, Unrecognized feelings, Vows to Keep, Wingnut Delivery Services, feelings are harder, feelings galore, internal struggles, more than meets the eye, self-depreciation, things change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-18
Updated: 2018-04-22
Packaged: 2019-04-03 23:35:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 13,908
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14007300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KDNightshade/pseuds/KDNightshade
Summary: A black box is never something one wishes to find, even where the Black Hat Organization is concerned. Unfortunately, that is exactly what they hope - or don't hope, in this circumstance - to find when the Wingnut Delivery Services team and their jet goes missing. Time is of the essence, and there are others outside of the Organization seeking the delivery team as they try to survive the multi-country and sea crossing trek back home. In the end, finding simply a black box may be the least of their concerns.





	1. Prologue - Recollections in Free Fall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “ _Sometimes I think that if I stay very, very still, if I never move at all, things will change. I think if I freeze myself I can freeze the pain. Sometimes I won’t move for hours. I will not move an inch. If time stands still nothing can go wrong. _”__  
>  ― Tahereh Mafi, ( _Shatter Me _)__

       “ _7700, I repeat, 7700!_ ”  
       He can still hear her trying to keep a strained composure as she issues the code over the radio waves, but the fear radiating within her eyes painted a much different picture of a woman desperate for rescue. In her English accent, a faint shake was steadily growing with each repetition of the cursed code, her grip on the controls tightening until her knuckles threatened to burst through their white-skinned enclosure.   
       Behind them sobbing and a few shrieks that willed themselves to escape the two teenagers strapped into their seats joined the cacophony; their eyes screwed shut to avoid meeting the snow-laden ground rushing towards the cockpit window. Now and then the pastel-clad boy would crack open his eyes in an owlish manner to watch the mountain face come closer into view, but the blonde seated across from him only held onto the straps holding her in place and begged for an escape  
      Suddenly the wicked orchestration had ceased, save for the deafening ringing filling his ears as the left wing was torn from the body by a formation to close to avoid. The craft was launched into a death spiral as it’s decline into the Earth rapidly increased, gravity losing bits and pieces of its grip as they fell into a free fall. Various boxes and crates crash against the ceiling and walls around them; pieces torn from the craft flying past the window as they’re hurled down into the snowy abyss below.  
       The blonde in the back was screaming and pleading for her life, but the sound didn’t reach him as he numbly watched as his co-pilot was ripped from her seat by force and thrown into the window. The glass spider-webbed with a dense, sickening crack as the unholstered pilot struggled to breathe against the wind both knocked out of her limp body and screaming through the holes in the craft, her eyes wide with terror and confusion. Crimson droplets released from her mouth and nostrils upon impact, floating towards his skin almost as though frozen in another, much slower time.   
       An eerie warmth spread across his face as the droplets painted him in their spray and he strained against his holster, his arm quickly thrown out to reach for the former ranger in a last bid to ground her to the doomed craft. From where he sat he didn’t have the length for his fingers to even begin grazing her, eyes welling with the frustration and fear that pooled in his stomach. He could feel her heavenly eyes pleading for him, searching within his own for an answer he couldn’t begin to place a question to in his current state.  
       Before his breath could even hitch up into a sob at the sight, everything was thrown forward, his forehead smashing into the dash as his vision snapped into black and the sound of grinding metal and glass burst through his eardrums accompanied by a cut-off shriek.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello my lovely little doodles!  
> Allow me to introduce you to _Black Box _~__  
>  This is my first time seriously posting here and not just to archive things from the past, so hopefully, I make a good first impression.  
> This started as a "what if" prompt and kind took off from there as I developed the idea more, which is my job actually. I also wanted to develop my characters - the Wingnuts - further by writing this work, so whether it's loved and enjoyed or not I'll be satisfied with what I got out of it.  
> Descriptions will be sparse in the future, but important details will be contained here if I think additional information is necessary.  
> I plan to update this work every Saturday at 11 PM if possible, so be on the lookout for the next chapter at that time. If a new one hasn't been posted by the Saturday night feel free to drop me a comment yelling at me.  
> Thank you for all your support my doodles,  
> I love ya oodles and hope to see you next week!  
>  _~Mady Ranz~ ___
> 
> ~☆~
> 
> _Fernanda Hermiss + Terach Hiscatch + Maxine Ryder_  
>  Black Box + Writing __  
> © **Madyson Ranzenberger ******
> 
>  _Patches Chrysler ___  
> © **McKayla Freeman ******  
> 


	2. Good Day Gone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _“Like a word on a page that you’ve printed and read a million times, that suddenly looks strange or wrong, foreign. And you feel scared for a second, like you’ve lost something, even if you’re not sure what it is.” ___  
> ― Sarah Dessen, ( _Just Listen _)__

       It had started as a decent enough day, at least where the young scientist enjoying his fourth cup of coffee was concerned. He’d seen the company’s delivery team off on another mass product drop the night before and had managed to catch a few hours of sleep afterward, waking optimistic as he usually did following such farewells. With the success of their mission would come praise from those they were delivering to for the products they received, and in turn approval that would keep their CEO’s demands for success at bay until they began producing next catalog.  
       Of course, he’d continue working tirelessly to ensure the next one would be just a chock-full of various weapons and defenses, but a little leeway with deadlines would allow him to relax and wash away the stress gathered from the previous order in the process. It was a vicious cycle for him to undertake every few weeks, but it was one that the man had grown accustomed to in the years he’d worked for the wayward company, and he welcomed it willingly. Fueled by the optimism the delivery left him with, he could produce as many as three weapons on the first day following its departure, possibly a fourth if he was left uninterrupted.  
       The large blue bear now standing at his side with a tray, however, wouldn’t allow him to work through necessary interruptions such as meals, naps, and showers. Despite his cuddly appearance and demeanor, he was much akin to an overprotective mother when it came to making sure the doctor - ironically, his creator and therefore father - paused to eat or rest when he required it. Until he was confident his creator took a proper pause, he would remain by his side watching his every move with disapproval just as he was now, prompting the scientist to comply with a small sigh as he took the tray from his paws.  
       Defeated but grateful, he tucked into the meal and picked up the newspaper set beside the plate to read the headlines as the bear left to refill his mug with a soft coo of approval. His eyes lazily trailed over the scrawls about his boss’s latest endeavors as he lifted each forkful to his mouth with content, casting a smile of appreciation towards his blue companion when he returned with a full mug of black. Feeling full enough for the moment, he set the utensil down and proceeded to scratch the bear around the yellow daisy that sprouted from the center of his head as he curled up as best he could beside the desk chair. It was moments such as these that kept the doctor from losing his head entirely throughout his weeks of constant work, never mind the rarity of them.  
       Above them the faint sound of claws skittering across tiles broke him partially from his contentedness, his goggle-covered eyes drifting up from the text to the reptilian hybrid making her way across the ceiling. Her long mess of neon green and pink locks was hard to miss against the stark surroundings, as was the lizard hoodie and its one googly eyeball staring back at him. With a small witchy cackle, she scurried down the wall and bounded over to his desk like a child about to ask for a ridiculous favor, her hands clasped behind her as she rocked back and forth on her feet.  
       “Hey, Flug?” She prompted in a sing-song voice as he set the paper aside to scratch at his jaw beneath the paper bag he wore to conceal his face.  
       “Yes, Demencia…?” He returned, arching a brow and sharing a suspicious look with the bear by his feet as a grin spread across her lips.  
       “Can I use your computer?”  
       “Only if you can promise it won’t be useless when you’ve finished using it.”  
       Taking that as a no, her grin instantly turned into a pout as she crossed her arms with annoyance. Flug couldn’t help but smirk as he lifted his bag to take a long gulp of coffee, satisfied with her irritation as his companion hummed in agreement with the decision. With a narrow glare between the two, she took a moment to hiss at the bear until he was silent and shying away, trying the scientist’s patience and tolerance with her at the moment as he set his mug down again.  
       “You let 5.0.5 use it,” She accused in her normal childish manner. “That’s not fair!”  
       “After what happened last time you’re lucky I even still  _have_  a computer,” He reminded her, glaring the girl down in return as he turned in his chair to face her as the bear moved off to hide from the confrontation. “It took me nearly two months to convince Black Hat that I needed a new one, and that was only  _after_  I did all of the paperwork by hand for the last catalog!”  
       “If you’re so worried about it why does that smelly bear get to use it?!”  
       “He uses it to look up recipes for dinner, and he’s  _not_  smelly!”  
       Amidst his trying to avoid the petty argument over his scent, 5.0.5’s concern dissipated briefly as his ears perked up at a high-pitched keening emanating from a nearby counter where the machine in question sat. Ignoring the rising volume of their back and forth, he ventured over to the counter and nudged the mouse to bring the screen to life, his concern returning in full force as an alert of sorts flashed in the corner, and a message appeared in the center. Slowly his large eyes deciphered the text before he began whimpering with distress, repeatedly pointing at the screen to draw their attention.  
       “I knew you were up to something,” Flug spouted, noticing his companion’s alarm as he stormed over to the practically screaming device to read the message for himself. “When did you touch it, what did you do?!”  
       “I didn’t touch anything!” Dem shot back, throwing her hands up in disbelief and annoyance.  
       “Yeah right, then what is this abo-”  
       Before he could finish his sentence, his mind processed what he was reading and froze, his eyes then scanning the message over and over to make sure it was correct. Immediately his hands went to work on the keyboard and mouse as he tried to extract further information from the alert, his heart racing as he let it pour over him one dreadful wave. By now Demencia had crossed over and was now watching over his shoulder as he began scribbling down various codes - numeric and otherwise - with panic, her brow furrowing as she read the message for herself.  
       “Swear…” He quietly ordered, his voice shaking much like his hand as he clicked through page after page of coding.  
       “Swear what…?” She mumbled in askance before being gripped by the shoulders and yanked to face him, his eyes wild with desperation as she blinked with shock.  
       “Swear to me you didn’t touch it Demencia, swear!”  
       “No, I didn’t touch it!”  
       “ _Swear!_ ”  
       “ _I swear!_ ”  
       As quickly as it had appeared, his burning anger dissipated into a sickeningly icy flow of terror that soon encased his heart, the doctor tripping over his feet as he released her and ran to the radio on the other side of the counter. He snatched the microphone off the surface and began turning the knobs to find the right frequency, sweat gathering on his brow as he fought not to hyperventilate while he watched the dial move. Behind him Demencia watched on as though observing a madman while 5.0.5 continued to whimper by her side, her eyes returning to the message with confusion as she tried to make sense of it.  
       “What does mayday mean,” She questioned, feeling her gut begin to clench with concern, the word’s negative context familiar to her. “What’s going on Flug…?”  
       “Headquarters to the Bolt,” He called upon finding the correct frequency, ignoring her as he waited for a reply. “Headquarters to the Bolt Buster, I need your status immediately, is this a false mayday?!”  
       “Did something happen to-”  
       “Bolt Buster, what’s your status?! Please, someone,  _answer me!_ ”  
       Only static answered back when he released the speech button, the sound seemingly deafening as it filled the room in its eerie silence for heartbeat after countless heartbeat that pounded in their ears. Despite not knowing the full extent of the situation, Demencia knew enough from the fear gathering in the doctor’s eyes that something had gone horribly wrong. She could feel it twisting within her stomach and pooling into her own form of panic, gripping her heart in an icy fist as she watched him drop the microphone and rush out of the lab.  
       He could be heard screaming their employer’s name with urgency as he sprinted down the halls, the calls fading the further he tripped and fumbled towards the demon’s office in desperation. Upon his departure, 5.0.5 couldn’t resist nuzzling against her comfort, his whimpers growing in their distressed volume and pitch as she placed an unsteady hand on his head and continued to re-read the message in an attempt to understand.  
_Contact with the subject “Bolt Buster” has been lost._  
_Transponder Code: 7700 - Mayday_  
_Last Coordinates: 61.755̶͕0̴͍̀°̵͎̃ ̵͎̈́Ń̸̲,̸̦͑ ̷̝͌5̸̛̹9̴̧̆.̴̣͠4̴̗̠̪͓̂͐͗2̴̜̳͚̮̫̃̈́̋͂̍2̶̤̾5̵̢̘̫̞̆͝°̷̯̝̩̩̬̮̬͙̪͆̂͂̂̈́͗̄͘̕͜ ̶̛͚̹̽̔́̑̊E̶̡̙̝̳̪̣̪̖̮̞̽̉̽̑̌͒͝_  
_Crew Status: Unknown_  
_Cargo Status: Unknown_  
_Please trace its last known coordinates and salvage the black box for further information._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello and thank you for all your support my lovely little doodles,  
> I love ya oodles and hope to see you next week!  
>  _~Mady Ranz~_
> 
> ~☆~
> 
>  _Fernanda Hermiss + Terach Hiscatch + Maxine Ryder_  
>  Black Box + Writing __  
>  **© Madyson Ranzenberger ******
> 
> _Patches Chrysler_   
>  **© McKayla Freeman ******


	3. Broken and Snowblind

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “ _There are some pains that run too deep for anything to absolve them. The best we can do is pick up the pieces and hope for the strength we need to keep going. _”_  
>  ― Sherrilyn Kenyon, ( _Acheron _)___

       Darkness.  
       He can feel it smothering him in a thick, unforgiving blanket as he swims weightlessly through its choking embrace in search of light. Try as he may, the feeling in his limbs remains distant and frozen in his unconscious state, fear lacing through any thought that he can manage to form as he struggles to find a haven in the shadows of his mind. It drowns him in its nauseating fog and threatens to obliterate whatever form of consciousness he may reach, lying in wait like a serpent beneath the inky waters to swallow him whole.   
       His mind is screaming that something isn’t right, a dull ache surging through his nerves as he combats the inviting warmth and falling sensation that calls to his subconsciousness. With each push against the beckoning black, he feels an icy grip begin to clench around his heart, memories flickering in and out before his eyes as his fear begins to gain purpose once more. He can feel it searing through his blanket of numbness with a sharp sting that burns like hellfire, but he can’t find it within him to cry out or even whimper in pain. Instead, he allows it to consume and pull him from the false security found within unconsciousness and back into the belly of whatever hell he’s found himself to be in. He can hardly recall his name, or what lead him into the crushing depths of his mind.  
       There was a flicker, a vibrant memory that feels somewhat distant, yet so strikingly clear as being recent. The unmistakable sound of blood-curdling screams and shrieked pleas for mercy fill his ears, grinding metal and glass tearing at his eardrums behind them. Gravity and weightlessness pull at him for dominance, the harness strapped around his chest and shoulders holding him in place throughout the unseen battle as he himself fights against it. Blonde hair whipping in the wind and blank owlish stares fill his eyes, and there they are. Two orbs of a heavenly glow locking their gaze on him in desperation and confusion, begging for him as a sickening warmth sprays across his face.  
       Then he found his breath.  
       “...Fern…” He managed to rasp out against the pressure in his chest, breath hissing past his teeth as he willed the pain to hit him with the force of a hurricane.  
       His body ached and strained with each minuscule movement he made as he hung limply from his holster, the wreckage around him a pile of shrapnel scrunched up against the mountain face. Lifting his head as far as he could in his current position, he struggled to see through the deep scarlet clouding the vision in his right eye as his forehead throbbed around the splitting gash now etched in his flesh. With a faint groan and grimace, he shakily wiped the blood from his eye and took in the isolation of the severed cockpit before silently cursing as another stream trickled into his line of sight.  
       As he began fidgeting with his harness in search of release, he could feel broken ribs shifting through each breath and the strain of his dislocated left wrist with each steadily hurried movement. His harness had saved him a barrage of worse injuries, but enough damage had been done to hamper his efforts as he fell from the seat into the snow that’d gathered within the debris. Once freed from the lofty perch, the wind whipped at his bruised and beaten form mercilessly, knocking him back with its bitter icy bite and force as he pushed himself onto unstable legs. His injuries and the vicious weather would have to be ignored as best they could be, his thoughts concerned only with finding the rest of the downed craft’s crew as he trudged into the blizzard waiting outside.  
       The wind howled in his ears as he wrapped his arms tightly around himself and scanned the darkness for the rest of the wreckage, clenching his teeth to keep them from chattering as his feet plunged further and further into the snow. They’d been dressed accordingly for the climate due to the deliveries they were to make in the area but not to be exposed to it for hours on end in the night. He could already feel the cold nipping at his skin beneath the layers as the remaining wing came into view still attached to the body, his feet numb in his boots as he quickened his pace toward the dark shape.  
       “Maxine,” He called through the storm as he neared the wreckage and peered inside for signs of life. “Patches?!”  
       “ _Get me out of here!_ ” A high-pitched shriek responded and sobs of desperation followed shortly after, sounding   
as though they came from a traumatized child as he hastily climbed into the mess of mangled metal and wires.  
       “Hold on Maxi, I’m coming! Just hold on!”  
       “ _Ter, **please!**_ ”  
       Her panic and terror tore into his heart as he navigated his way through the trashed holding area and cargo bay towards her voice, pushing crates and sheets of twisted metal out of his path as quickly as his wrist would allow. With each step closer, her hysteric sobs slowly devolved into soft whimpers that echoed in the dark wreckage surrounding them. Eyes adjusting to the darkness, he could faintly make out her light-haired figure against the shadows where she lay on the wall of the bay, appearing to have been ripped from her seat when the harness snapped on impact. She was still reeling from the initial descent when he knelt beside her, tears streaming down her cheeks and the various little cuts and scrapes that riddled her skin as she remained petrified by fear.  
       She had fared better than he had regarding brokenness with the cushioning some of the cargo had provided, but in the same vein, it would leave her body far more bruised than his own. Already her face could be seen swelling as she hiccupped and turned her tear-stained eyes to her upper right arm, whimpering louder at the sight of shrapnel slicing through her coat and into her flesh. Crimson slowly spurted up out of the wound as he carefully moved it closer for examination, wincing in sync with her as his fingers gingerly moved the fabric out of the way enough to see where it penetrated.  
       “You’re going to need sutures,” He regretfully muttered, gently dropping her arm before he moved to help her up to her feet and her sobbing started anew at the conclusion. “But first we need to find Patch and-”  
       “Sutures…?” The boy in question’s small voice asked with interest, appearing from behind a mass of splintered wood with a pained smile as he stepped in a way to avoid using his left leg.  
       “Is it broken?”  
       “Nah, just a little twisted… Can I help with the sutures?”  
       Ter merely sighed with relief and shook his head in response, earning him a small pout before he wrapped his arm protectively around the pastel child’s shoulder. With a quick look over he appeared just as scraped up as the blonde, but otherwise unharmed save for the bruises beginning to form on his pale complexion and the swollen twisted knee he’d mentioned. If he’d had more faith in their current situation, he would’ve allowed himself to cry with relief at that moment, silently praising the heavens that he’d found the two teens alive and in one piece. Judging by the state of the cargo and debris lodged in the snow outside of their current shelter, it'd been a miracle that they weren’t thrown from their section of the jet and completely torn apart when their harnesses snapped to begin with.  
       “...Fern…” He suddenly breathed with realization, releasing the pair almost immediately before rushing back the way he’d entered in a horrified panic.  
       The confused and now worried children remained by the mouth of the wreck as he motioned for them to stay put, practically throwing himself through the massive layers of snow in a frantic, terrified search for his co-pilot. His wide garrus blue eyes scanned the evening-drenched landscape desperately to catch a glimpse of anything that may indicate her survival, voice caught in his throat as he struggled to keep his tears in check. He could feel his limbs tiring in their efforts and his lungs burning the harder he pushed himself, but he couldn’t force himself to stop searching until he finally caught a flash of army green resting half-buried in a mound of white.  
       Refusing to listen to the alarms screaming in his mind, he closed the space between them with as broad trudges as the snow would allow before attempting to pull her free, heart pounding when she failed to respond. Quickly he rolled her over to face him and brushed her face clear of the icy crystals, struggling to breathe as he shifted to cradle her shattered form. Faint incoherent whimpers and whines fell brokenly from her mouth as he gently cupped her cheek and hushed her, taking in each injury with heartbreaking detail as her eyes blindly sought his.  
       Her face was swollen to the point of unrecognition beneath the crimson that caked and stained it, eyes dark from burst blood vessels as the substance still faintly leaked from her nostrils and the corner of her ravaged mouth. Around her lips, the nutmeg skin had started to become purple and blackened with frostbite, the tip of her nose and ears following suit as the snow clung heavily to them. It was taking whatever strength she had left to take in and release breaths through the already thick, clotting blood beginning to block her airways, never mind the weight of her crumbled chest.  
       He was trying to keep his head while cataloging her contorted limbs when the heart-stopping sound of firearms rang out through the weather’s roar, the nauseating fear welling within him starting to pitch as beams of light sliced through the night. Whatever was stalking around the crash site was there for a purpose, and Ter was certain it had no intentions of being peaceful when it found them amidst the debris.  
       “K-Kaz,” Fern’s voice began to sputter out as her mangled hand clenched into the fabric on his chest nearest to it. “K-Kaz-zakhstan… G-Go t-t-to…”  
       “Hey hey hey,” Ter softly warned with alarm as his focus returned to her, keeping the nearing sound in mind as he held her still to avoid further pain. “Don’t move, just… D-Don’t move…”  
       “K-Kaz-zakhs-stan… H-Have t-t-to… N…  _N-Now…_ ”  
       “Alright… Alright, we’ll get you up and go to Kazakhstan then, o-okay…? We’ll all go right now…”  
       Throughout his reassurance she could be seen faintly shaking her head in response, tears rolling down her cheeks in thick trails as she tried not choke on the sob fighting for dominance against the blood in her throat. Shortly after her hand tightened on the front of his coat as her frail body convulsed with oxygen loss, fearful eyes widely meeting his with sorrow and warning as they faded into a distant milky hue. He wasn’t able to find it within him to do much more than hold her closer for comfort throughout the episode, shaking helplessly as her grip slowly unclenched itself and her body went slack in his arms.   
       “Fern,” He whispered softly, refusing to believe the reality now silently crashing down around him as his confused tears fell onto her cheeks. “ _Fern…?_ ”  
       Another round of gunshots cut through the air before he whipped his head up to see the lights drawing closer, heart hammering in his chest as more of them appeared from within the haze. He recognized through his troubled mind that it would only be a matter of minutes before the group closed in on them, and the children were still waiting within the wreckage for him to return. If they were to escape confrontation - or worse - he would have to move, acting blindly on the orders he’d been given by the deceased woman still wrapped tightly in his arms. Unfortunately for his heavy heart, that meant leaving her behind to be claimed by the mountain, alone.   
_Forgive me_ , His thoughts softly cried as he carefully laid the limp body back into the snow before closing her eyes out of respect.  _I know I’m a coward, and I know you wish I wasn’t… But please, just forgive me for running this time…_  
       Once she’d been as adequately settled into her improper resting place as he could manage he stood and took a deep, shaky breath before turning in the direction of the wreckage, screwing his eyes shut as he trudged on to keep from looking back. He could still feel his eyes welling over and the ache in his chest growing with each step he took away from the corpse when he returned to the silent children, keeping his eyes down to avoid questions as he pulled them away. In his heart he knew they already had an idea about what the absence of the second pilot meant, Maxine’s silent sobbing growing behind her trembling hand as Patches kept his eyes on his unbalanced steps while they fled into the wilderness.  
       Soon the abandoned scene was being torn apart by foot soldiers, scouring the wreckage for their assigned target before a search around the crash site was called for upon finding foreign footsteps. It would only take three minutes to find the frozen corpse laid to rest within the snow at the end of one trail, and five more to have it zipped into a body bag as they were ordered to. The footsteps, however, would take longer to trace back to a source, but the soldiers were anything but undetermined.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello and thank you for all your support my lovely little doodles,  
> I love ya oodles and hope to see you next week!  
>  _~Mady Ranz~_
> 
> ~☆~
> 
>  _Fernanda Hermiss + Terach Hiscatch + Maxine Ryder_  
>  Black Box + Writing __  
>  **© Madyson Ranzenberger ******
> 
> _Patches Chrysler_   
>  **© McKayla Freeman ******


	4. Void of Loyalty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “ _One thing you learn when you've lived as long as I have-people aren't all good, and people aren't all bad. We move in and out of darkness and light all of our lives. Right now, I'm pleased to be in the light. _”__  
>  ― Neal Shusterman, ( _Unwind _)__

       “And what, pray tell, do you wish  _me_  to do Flug?” Black Hat questioned with annoyance as he looked up from the mess of codes the scientist had burst into his office screaming about.  
       “We need to find the black box, sir,” He quickly explained, trying his best not to fidget as the eldritch’s glare narrowed. “I-If you give me a little time to figure out its location we can-”  
       “Why on Earth would I allow you to waste time on such a fruitless venture?”  
       “S-Sir, the Wingnuts may still be alive wherever they are and-”  
       “They may also have been torn limb from limb and charbroiled in that wreckage, but whatever the truth may be, all of the cargo they were carrying was most definitely destroyed in the crash. Now it will all need to be replaced and reshipped to the customers, who will surely want compensation for the delay by the time they receive them. If they did somehow manage to survive - which I have substantial reason to doubt is the case - they owe me their pathetic lives for the trouble they’re putting me through for this fiasco anyway. Again, I must ask you, why should I care about finding that blasted black box?”  
       Flug had visibly shrunk back the longer the bitter spiel had gone on, shaking slightly at the growing resentment in the dapper demon’s voice. Deep down he had known it would be a long shot calling on any compassion his boss may have held, but his mind hadn’t entirely connected those dots when he’d rushed down to the office in his previous panic. His only thoughts at the time had been on locating the downed jet’s black box and the - hopefully alive - team that had been piloting it, which now seemed ridiculous after being thoroughly berated for such a thought. More than anything, he almost felt ashamed for calling upon Black Hat to help resolve an issue so beneath him.  
       His depreciation aside, however, he couldn’t keep the tugging on his heart in check as he debated dropping the issue. Although he was an elite evil genius, the delivery team was a part of the company and therefore family just as 5.0.5 and Demencia were, if not more so in some cases. Whether Black Hat considered that concept or not, he hadn’t any clue, but it was worth attempting to call to attention.  
       “...They were loyal…?” He offered quietly, keeping his eyes trained on the floor as he picked at his gloves in a bid to appeal to the archaic demon’s cruel, domineering nature.  
       “Their loyalty is not lost on me,” His superior scoffed as he rolled his monocleless eye and sat back in his chair. “But I’m not going to put my business on hold simply to locate their corpses. Honestly, I would’ve thought you knew better by now Doctor.”  
       "...Of course, I do… I-I just thought if nothing else mattered to you, maybe giving our lives for your success did…”  
       Black Hat had to give the scientist credit, he certainly knew which words to use to make him stop and think. His staff was far more than willing to risk their survival for his gain, and he capitalized on that fact every chance he was given. If he was honest, there wasn’t a day he didn’t relish in their misfortunes and the fear his disapproval instilled within them. It was exhilarating, to say the least.  
       Nevertheless, even with the thrill that their shrill shrieks of terror and cowering induced, he couldn’t deny he found their loyalty to both him and each other rather endearing in its strength. It had carried them through many struggles and tests throughout the years, and it still remained as resilient as ever despite the internal conflicts they would run into from time to time. For such fragile creatures, it was borderline lunacy that they would pledge themselves to such loyalty, especially when their mortality relied on a being who previously held none. However, they would conquer the pits of hell and demand the heavens to bow down at their feet in his honor if another was ever foolish enough to challenge it. In whatever organ that held the semblance of a heart within him, he found it hard to refuse himself the ability to reciprocate the same loyalty if not doing so meant losing such dedication.  
       “You have one week…” He muttered defeatedly after a few moments of consideration, huffing silently as closed his eyes and placed his hands together as though praying before his face to ebb his natural annoyance with setbacks.  
       “Wh-What was that, sir…?” Flug asked as his goggle-covered eyes shot up to meet his with shock, his heart beating a mile a minute as he waited for confirmation.  
       “You have one week to locate and salvage the black box…”  
       “Thank you, sir, I-I’ll get to work right away to bring them ho-”  
       “You may bring whatever else you find at the crash site back as well, but I will not allow you to waste any more production time following your return if you find something you didn’t wish to. Good or bad, it will be dealt with accordingly, and then you will return to work undeterred, understood?”  
       Beneath the doctor’s bag and goggles, Black Hat was certain the color had faded from his cheeks as he nodded in agreement despite the grim insinuation the condition held and hurried away to work on his new task.  
       Once the door had been closed, and his footsteps were heard disappearing down the hall, the eldritch opened his eyes with a sigh and tilted his head back to stare at the high ceiling in thought. It wasn’t often that he was entirely accurate in his predictions when it came to demise, but it was impossible for him to be completely wrong about it in some degree either. His scientist had known that by now, of course, but it was in his nature to make an attempt to be optimistic in whatever situation he was presented with. Even so, the demon’s words had thoroughly shaken not only the foundation of his optimism in this scenario but his own small sense of it as well.  
       Although he would never truly admit it - even to himself - he was concerned about what the scientist would find once the location of the black box was deciphered from the corrupted transmission. He had faith in the delivery team’s ability to survive a crash such as the one Flug’s readouts had depicted, it was the type of hazards they had been known for enduring, after all. They had been through far worse on other deliveries, and they had always managed to return to them unscathed.  
       And yet, he knew no matter what paltry amount hope he may have held, it would not be a formidable match for the now shrieking instinctual alarm bells filling his head.  
       “...Curse this realm for beginning to give me a sense of humanity…” He murmured to no one in particular, bringing his hands up to cover his face in bittersweet defeat as he released a slow breath of concentration.  
       With a few steady deep breaths, he allowed the sensations around him to fall away, his body becoming a vacant vessel as he slipped through the world’s grip on his soul into the darkness that awaited him beyond it. Slowly his now weightless hands slid away from his eyes as silence invaded his senses and deprived him of natural functions, floating in the darkness found behind his eyes as only his very being lingered. Once he had become content with his absent state, he willed his eyes to drift open before taking in the tranquility of the deep lavender void before him as shadows danced effortlessly within its fog.   
       He had found his trips to the realm of shadows becoming less and less frequent as of late, but he held no qualms about venturing there when the strain of the mortal realm became too great to soothe his inner beast. Despite his growing fondness for his latest home amidst the universe, he could never find peace there as he did in the realm of his creation. Throughout his existence it had remained the only place he could truly escape the annoyances and various trials that came with being the Lord of Villainy, never mind the limitations his physical body presented at times. It provided him whatever he required to remain at the peak of physical and mental perfection, and he thrived in such care when he thought it impossible to evade the torments from outside its embrace.  
       For the time being, however, he merely sought a moment of comfort and clarity brought by the silent oasis flowing within his soul. He knew he would be given guidance on how to proceed following the end of the week in due time, he merely had to be patient and allow the realm to present it to him.  
       “I never saw you as one for fear of fate…” A familiar voice mused tightly through the silence, faint curiosity heard in its tone as he sighed with a foreign sense of relief and turned to face the concerned expression of its owner.  
       “Nor I you,” He returned with hidden gratitude for the sight, allowing the soft echo of the English accent to set his troubled mind at ease. “And yet, here we both are Miss Hermiss…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello and thank you for all your support my lovely little doodles,  
> I love ya oodles and hope to see you next week!  
>  _~Mady Ranz~_
> 
> ~☆~
> 
>  _Fernanda Hermiss + Terach Hiscatch + Maxine Ryder_  
>  Black Box + Writing __  
>  **© Madyson Ranzenberger ******
> 
> _Patches Chrysler_  
>  **© McKayla Freeman ******


	5. Void of Guidance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _“One problem with being a leader is that even among your friends you are alone,  
>  for it is you - and you alone - to whom the others look for final guidance.” ___  
> ― Trenton Lee Stewart, ( _The Mysterious Benedict Society _)__

       The young pilot was just as he had seen her last, albeit a little worse for wear than he remembered. Her once fluffy chocolate locks were frazzled and matted down by blood in a few patches, lying limply on her shoulders to frame her bruised face and the crimson staining it. Various gashes and scrapes riddled her previously glowing nutmeg skin, now dull in comparison to the torn and tattered clothing hanging on her somewhat frail frame. Beneath the heavy coat and thick leggings under her shorts, she could be seen shivering, hugging herself as best she could with one arm around her chest. The other remained limp by her side as she swayed ever so slightly on weak legs, exhaustion quickly found to be lacing her expression as her pale golden eyes shown through the filth and grit to meet his.The young pilot was just as he had seen her last, albeit a little worse for wear than he remembered. Her once fluffy chocolate locks were frazzled and matted down by blood in a few patches, lying limply on her shoulders to frame her bruised face and the crimson staining it. Various gashes and scrapes riddled her previously glowing nutmeg skin, now dull in comparison to the torn and tattered clothing hanging on her somewhat frail frame. Beneath the heavy coat and thick leggings under her shorts, she could be seen shivering, hugging herself as best she could with one arm around her chest. The other remained limp by her side as she swayed ever so slightly on weak legs, exhaustion quickly found to be lacing her expression as her pale golden eyes shown through the filth and grit to meet his.  
       There had always been something dangerous about those heavenly orbs and the way they watched those around her, sharp and piercing much like a tigress waiting for her moment to strike. Even now he could sense an uneasy chill threatening to run down his spine upon meeting their offputting gaze. However, there was something within them at this moment that caught his eye with nagging importance.  
       “You don’t look bothered to actually see and talk to me,” She observed quietly as she cocked her head to take in more details of the previously foreign sight. “Usually you act like I’m a curse you can’t get rid of…”  
       “Under certain circumstances,” He began slowly, attempting to snap himself back to attention as he tore his eye away from hers and trained it on the ground for the time being. “I find it relieving to have another who is as honest with how fate unfolds in your realm as I am, despite how much I despise admitting you and I are equally right and wrong in some cases.”  
       “You see me as an equal, at least from a ‘being realistic’ standpoint…?”  
       “In other words, I don’t appreciate your rivaling approaches to fate’s plan, but I do find a sense of companionship in your ability to see it nonetheless.”  
       “...Why are you telling me this…?”  
       If he was entirely honest - which was rarely the case - he wasn’t certain of the answer himself. He had never considered sharing his true feelings when it came to admiration and trust, especially not with creatures so unforgiving as humans. The concept always seemed unnecessary and dangerous to partake in, leaving him bare and vulnerable in the universe’s cruel hands if spoken about within the wrong company. On any given day, she would’ve easily been considered such company and therefore the last person he would be genuinely telling how he felt about their acquaintanceship.  
       Try as he may to conjure false animosity towards the battered pilot; however, he couldn’t find it within him to behave in such a vile manner beneath the gentle waves that ebbed within her daffodil eyes. They held no challenge or intimidation, just a soft warmth that bathed the subject of their attention in comfort and swaddled it with the unmistakable care of a nurturing spirit. All that they asked of him was honesty and trust in a way that nearly brought him to pity her hidden plea for it, masking the fear and concern she was known to be void of much like he was. Even so, as he became lost within their gaze once more, his instincts started anew with their insistence there was something about the glowing pools that he should be addressing.  
       Something he almost considered haunting.  
       “Perhaps I find there isn’t a reason to hide from your eyes here,” He murmured, stepping closer to the smaller woman as he studied the finer details of her appearance. “After all, your reason for being present in this realm is because it wished to provide me with guidance… Keeping any information from you concerning our current scenario - whether it is as trivial as emotions or not - will not aid me if you are here to help.”  
       “You make it sound as though I’m a spirit…” She sighed as she tilted her head back slightly to look up at him, stray strands of hair falling from her face to further reveal the pull of fatigue in her faint smile.  
       “In a way, that is exactly what you are. However, it appears that is precisely the purpose that it has brought you to me, to be a spirit of guidance.”  
       “And what is it you find so troubling that you require  _my_ guidance with it…?”  
       “What we will find when we locate your black box.”  
       If heartbeats could be heard within the realm, he was confident hers would have frozen mid-beat. He hadn’t realized until her eyes widened at his words that they hadn’t addressed the accident, not even once. Watching the way she now seemed to stare off into the lavender landscape with concern and confusion, the tears rimming her eyes were all he needed to know it hadn’t been intentional. The sad truth was she hadn’t brought herself to address it yet because she hadn’t been able to remember it entirely, remaining blocked from the memory by an instinctual self-defense mechanism. It was then he honestly did pity her, feeling her fear roll off her skin in thick waves as she struggled to piece the horrifying scene back together.  
       He could see it taking shape before him in the haze, flickering in and out of the shadows as though they were stills from an old film strip. Her voice was strained as she relayed the failed mayday back to them in the manor, terrified and unheard while they all slept peacefully, blissfully unaware of the tragedy to come. She ceased radio contact after eleven attempts and focused her attention on pulling the craft out of its nosedive, relying on her ability to at least perform a safe crash landing to save them then. The shrieking exploding from the back only filled her eardrums when she was thrown back from her seat following a deafening crunch, world spinning and jet plummeting like an asteroid as blood poured from her nostrils and mouth. There had been a hand reaching for hers, but it hadn’t been close enough to grab before the image was ripped away and replaced by a pitch black that soon swallowed her in its crushing embrace. The darkness consumed her until only a numbing cold remained in her unmoving limbs, everything becoming distant as she faded into the silence.  
       Black Hat didn’t realize he was shaking her out of the flooding memories until he felt her trembling hands begin to grip him back, perturbed by what her mind had allowed to be uncovered as she clung to him for stability. Giving her a few moments to collect herself - and ease his own disturbed thoughts gained from witnessing the accident - he waited until the last of her tears had dried themselves before broaching the subject further.  
       “Tell me as far as you know,” He spoke calmly, pronouncing each word slowly as he desperately sought to keep himself grounded within her tear-stained eyes. “Did you survive the accident, or are we going to find-”  
       “No,” She quickly responded as she wound back down to her previous ethereal daze. “No, you won’t be finding four corpses when you get there… Just a vacant and abandoned crash site…”  
       “Why did you leave it, where did you go?”  
       “It was too cold, and there were… Others were looking for us, so we had to leave it to find somewhere safer for us to go, but… I-I got lost…”  
       “Do you know where you went down?”  
       “No… Don’t you…?”  
       Her grip tightened on the lapels of his jacket when he failed to provide an answer, concern tight in her features when his eye turned away with the same intent to seem apologetic.  
       He wished he was able to lie to her, to berate her for doubting his knowledge as he always had. He wished he could tell her to pull herself together, or at least stop making him feel so miserable. He wished she would just disappear back into the void, leaving him alone to sort out his troubles without additional guilt. He wished so many things at that moment, but more than anything, he wished he had an answer that wouldn’t hurt.  
       No matter how hard he wanted them to come true, however, her eyes were too much to fight.  
       “The data we received was corrupted,” He reluctantly admitted, forcing himself to explain the true source of his current troubles as cooly as he could be at the moment. “Flug is trying to decipher it now…”  
       “Can’t  _you_  find it…?” She asked in disbelief as he slowly shook his head in response and tried to keep his tone matter-of-fact while speaking of how his abilities worked in this circumstance.  
       “I require a link to locate you across such long distances, but the one that I previously had… Well, in your words Miss Hermiss, it’s become lost.”  
       It hadn’t been the gentlest way of phrasing their current dilemma, but he was at a loss for any other words that may have been as accurate. The soul he’d previously made a connection to within the team was chosen for the purpose of being able to keep track of it at all times, and those of the others as well due to its constant contact with them. Without the connection to the soul, it was nearly impossible for him to locate the person directly or even the trail of their aura outside of his domain, eldritch capabilities withstanding. If he couldn’t connect to the link he’d established, there had to have been something terribly wrong on their end.  
       He could see she understood this hidden fact, just as she often understood many unspoken things between them. Looking down at her knitted brow and calculating expression, he could practically hear the gears turning in her head, maintaining her composure with minimal effort despite her dazed state. He’d often seen her undertake this approach to obstacles in the time they’d worked together, it was one of the qualities he begrudgingly admired in the ex-ranger. It wasn’t in her nature to charge into action and demand answers in exchange for lives as he expected her to, but to take every action into consideration and proceed accordingly with the best outcome in her sight. There would be time to panic and become a savage interrogator down the road if need be, however, it wasn’t that time just yet.  
 _The best we can do for the time being is wait_ , Black Hat thought as he noted the shaky sigh of defeat that escaped her in silent agreement.  _Flug will find the location by the end of the week, and then we will find you… We just have to wait…_  
       Without warning the void shifted into darkness, shadows muddling the light lavender until it became a deep wine. The once serene silence now pierced their ears in its overwhelming presence as they stared through the haze, watching and waiting for it to consume them as only the faint sound of alarmed breathing threatened to shatter it. Within him he could feel the realm roaring and pulling at his soul, tearing away from him and pushing him back into his physical form before he had a chance to argue its eviction. His journey had reached its end as the realm was no longer of any assistance in the matter, and so it was cutting him from its web until he required its guidance once more.  
       His eyes returned to the young pilot. Already her image had begun to fade from his sight, succumbing to her origin within the void and submitting to its call for her return to the shadows. Her weakened body no longer held the fight she was so known for as it swayed in the darkness that enveloped them, her expression crestfallen as the light left her and she became spiritless in the reclaiming realm. Much like the realm itself, she no longer had a purpose, and therefore would be leaving him as alone as he’d begun. He hadn’t seen the void take away its comfort for him before, nor did he ever wish to.  
       Out of an instinctual sense of panic, he clamped his hand down on her wrist and yanked her forward to look at him, her eyes wide with rarely seen fright as she froze under his stern glare. However, it wasn’t the hellish fire of being denied something he wished in his own that terrified her, it was the unbridled fear of the unknown that radiated beneath it. Her pity for the emotionally inexperienced eldritch was almost heartbreaking, daffodil irises slowly caressing him with understanding and reassurance of his wishes.  
       “Stay here with me,” He finally pleaded under the disguise of a demand, grip tightening as he watched her expression soften further and he amended the desperate command. “Don’t leave this place until this is over…”   
       “...I’m not going anywhere if you don’t want me to…” She answered softly to ease the last of his fears, nurturing eyes still shimmering with a sorrowfully unnatural light he had yet to place.  
       Then it all came back. His eye opened to his once dark office now being bathed in an eerily bright scarlet, silent save for the grandfather clock against the wall. Outside the sun had begun to set in a display of wistfully bleeding oranges and yellows, shrouding the once lively manor in darkness as the first night of troubled sleep and restless planning set in. In a week’s time, he would emerge from the realm into a much different world, but he didn’t have the luxury of being able to dwell on such thoughts right now. He had already spent enough time unmasked before mortals, now it was time to replace the facade of an unaffected entity, and get back to work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tonight's chapter was a little late due to complications at work, being a shift supervisor means putting up with extra bull sometimes.  
> Editing and formatting on this site on a phone is also uber difficult so... Yeah.
> 
> Hello and thank you for all your support my lovely little doodles,  
> I love ya oodles and hope to see you next week!  
>  _~Mady Ranz~_
> 
> ~☆~
> 
>  _Fernanda Hermiss + Terach Hiscatch + Maxine Ryder_  
>  Black Box + Writing __  
>  **© Madyson Ranzenberger ******
> 
> _Patches Chrysler_  
>  **© McKayla Freeman ******


	6. What Hurts the Most

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  _“Life does not accommodate you, it shatters you.  
>  Love is mean, but it's good. It keeps us alive. ___  
> ― Tarryn Fisher, ( _Thief _)__

__**User:**  Professor Jonston Nikolai  
**Data Entry Pending -**  Subject 42499  
**Day 1:**  The Subject - identified now as 42499 - appears not to have succumbed to the elements, but rather another external force not identified to me by the recovery team. Frostbitten cartilage would have indicated otherwise, but the flesh tone still vivid in the remains and color in the circulatory system leads to another culprit. Multiple contusions can be found spanning its corpse, as well as fractures of various severity and size observed in the initial x-rays indicating that massive traumatic damage is undoubtedly lurking within. Pulse oximetry readouts indicate blood flow has ceased in all but one unidentified type of cell, but I have been prohibited from performing further tests until provided clearance. I now await clearance from the Society to merely perform the initial autopsy, which is proving difficult as it was found to be carrying traces of the Incident.  
       The Subject has evaded autopsy far longer than I would have liked as it is, but the observations made while awaiting clearance have proven rather fruitful on their own. Within the sixth hour of lying on the observation table the previously frostbitten regions were found to have faded back into the flesh tone found on the rest of the corpse, as have gashes that have since scarred over and disappeared. Closer inspection reveals that these injuries have remarkably - although alarmingly - healed on their own despite the Subject being deceased and theoretically incapable of such natural processes, especially ones so lengthy in nature. Research leads me to believe the strain connected to the Incident played a part in this miracle, but further testing is required to prove such theories. I will propose them to the Society accordingly following word on the clearance for autopsy and the return of the elimination team.  
  


~☆~

  
       “Max,” Terach rasped, shaking the young blonde lying on her side in the light layer of snow that dusted the rocks. “Maxi, it’s time to get up…”  
       “...I’m awake…” She murmured absently as she listened to the wind howl outside the cave mouth, ignoring the pilot as he attempted to force himself up on stiff muscles and rouse the third member in their party.  
       Despite his painfully wishful thinking, Maxine hadn’t been able to slip into slumber by any means throughout the night. They had trudged through the wilderness for what had seemed like hours after abandoning the crash site to whoever had been keen on claiming it, pushing forward against the icy wind and impossibly deep snow banks without stop. It had only occurred to stop for shelter when their fingers had begun to ignore their commands, and even then Ter had been adamant about hurrying the children into the dark cave for the night against Fern’s echoing words of warning. Once inside and allowed to thaw, their wounds and fatigue were made even more evident with each excruciating minute that passed, silence stretching until only their previously ignored grief remained.  
       Instead of drifting off due to exhaustion or even hypothermia as they had, she laid awake staring at the weather-worn wall silently, allowing the night’s events to seep into her senses and cloud her mind. Against the hard surface at her side the cold had claimed her previously burning limbs in a numbing embrace, freezing the few tears that had managed to escape as thoughts tumbled in and out of focus in the dark. Her nerves were still singing with pain as her muscles screamed for recuperation and every gash throbbed beneath dried crimson, arm pulsing around the shrapnel still firmly lodged in the meat of the limp appendage. A slow, sharp sting had set in where frostbite had begun to form and had thawed in the brief break from exposure, wringing her pain tolerance until it was left shattered and the pain was all she felt.  
       Everything hurt, but it was all only a dull ache in comparison to what couldn’t be healed.  
       “...Did she say goodbye…?” Max whispered, unable to keep her thoughts from forming the heart-wrenching scene as Ter pulled a still quiet Patches up.  
       “We need to keep moving,” The butternut blond informed, ignoring the raw topic and the emotions that came with it until he felt prepared to deal with it properly. “If we pick up the pace we can find a main route by tomorrow night and follow it down into Kazakhstan over the next few days then we can-”  
       “Is that where she told you to take us…?”  
       “This isn’t the time to-”  
       “Did she tell you to leave her…?”  
       “ _Maxine._ ”  
       The shadowling’s eerie silence returned, mouth clamped shut and frost-bitten lips slightly pursed. The scolding wasn’t uncommon with the pilot’s desire to be a fatherly figure to her, but the sharp snap in his tone had been unheard of. Behind him, Patches had joined in her stunned state, watching Terach quietly seethe with frustration as a warning glare trained on her back. Unlike Patch, however, she hadn’t stopped because it frightened her. It had been because she could hear the pain hidden beneath the anger with her absent and prodding questions, and it was too difficult to ignore the same sense of hurt running through her own heart.   
       She didn’t blame him for it, not any more than he could blame her for the sudden disconnect that had set in. Fern had been more than just a good friend or coworker, much more than either could entirely explain where they currently, even if given an eternity to do so. Her heart had been dedicated to them from the moment they had crossed paths, just as it always was to all of those who had found their way into her flock throughout the years. In truth, Terach would’ve pined for her until his demise, chasing her around the world on every oddball mission she’d dragged them on hoping for a glimmer of reciprocated affection. It was only when he had nearly walked away from it all that she’d stopped running away, and instead into his arms. Unfortunately, in the end, he had been the one to truly run away.   
_I already hate myself as it is_ , He thought bitterly as he pried his eyes away from the young blonde and returned to hiking Patch up to his feet.  _It’s only right that I let you hate me now too..._  
       Losing his love would’ve been enough on its own, but nothing compared to the guilt he felt from denying the shadowling a proper goodbye from the woman she had come to know as her adopted mother. Through every push and pull presented by both sides, she had become the closest thing Maxine had to a parent - one that hadn’t left her willingly, at that. Although she would never fully admit, she needed Fern’s nurturing nature as much as she required oxygen at this point in her life. Without her, she could feel herself floundering and tumbling into the unknown, well-blocked corners of her mind searching for an answer she knew she wouldn’t find.  
       Every memory they held of her - every moment they now felt flooding back with each agonizingly passing second - was now tainted with the thought of what could’ve been and what would now never be, each one fading like flowers in the fall. It was as though they were being shattered, torn apart piece by piece and obliterated into dust by the crushing reality of it all before being carried away on harsh winds of the future. Everything was vanishing, distorting until only emptiness and whirlwind of conflicting emotions remained.   
       “She’s not coming back,” Patch started quietly, looking back and forth between the two blonds as his mind fumbled over the somewhat foreign idea. “Is she…?”  
       “No Patch,” Maxine sighed shakily as she forced herself to sit up despite the hot tears forming in her eyes from both pain and grief. “Dead people don’t come back…”  
       “I know that, I just didn’t know she was someone that could happen to…”  
       “Yeah, well… Neither did we…”  
       “In hindsight, I guess we should’ve seen it coming… I’m surprised she wasn’t already-”  
       Before the words had finished leaving his lips - stiff muscles and damaged arm or not - she had pushed up onto her feet and charged the pastel-clad boy, able fist swinging for his jaw when Terach caught her around the midsection. Her rage was blistering in fury and easily could’ve allowed her to escape him to continue the assault, but her broken mind was too shattered to think rationally as she thrashed about in the pilot’s arms and clawed for the other teen. With his injured state, it was proving difficult to keep his hold on her, but her own made it far more difficult to break free as he held her tightly and let the burst of anger run its course.  
       Watching her grief-driven rage fade away into sorrow from afar, Patch decided it best to wait before asking any more questions, pondering deep down whether it’d be wise to do so with their current instability. Her sobs the previous night had been silent and quick to dissipate as they trudged aimlessly through the snow, but given a chance to ruminate they had become wracking and paralyzing in intensity. In Terach’s arms, she went limp like a poor ragdoll in a child’s hands, fingers digging into his sleeve as she collapsed into fits of uncontrollable grief and sorrow, hardly aware that tears had formed in the pilot’s own Garrus eyes. It was as though he was watching them fall apart, and in a way, he supposed they were watching how they devolved into a heap of subsiding sobs on the cave floor.   
       Confused and uncertain of his own feelings on the matter, he tore his eyes away from the pair and trained them on the blinding white wall billowing past the entrance. If he stood watching the snow fly past for long enough, he thought he would become stuck there, and maybe that was just fine. Maybe all of them being stuck on the mountain face was right where they belonged.  
_Life sucks_ , He silently concluded as he shuffled over to the mouth of the cave and leaned against the rocky wall with a small pout.  _Death sucks more… It makes everyone go crazy._  
       Suddenly a familiar sound reached him through the howling wind, faint yet overpowering as it echoed across the vast landscape. It was dangerous, paralyzing in the instinctual fear it induced as his wide strawberry eyes stared into the blurred abyss like a deer in the headlights. He knew the fearful sound more intimately than anyone should, but in the wake of the past twenty-four hours, it seemed almost distant in his memories as he tried to place it. The closer it came the further he subconsciously backed away from the opening, knowing it to be best from experience as he stopped by the previously forgotten pair and absently shook Terach’s shoulder.  
       “...I think we should leave now…” He mumbled, keeping his eyes on the unforgiving wilderness outside the small shelter as he waited to hear it a third time.  
       Amidst his shushing the small blonde in his arms and quieting his own tears, Terach’s eyes glanced up with confusion at the turquoise-haired child before darting to the entrance as his ears tuned themselves to the same startling sound. He - just like Patch - waited to hear it again, uncertainty and fear painting his thoughts as he held Maxine closer. Like clockwork, a fourth booming bout of sound ricocheted off the cave walls and into their ears as Terach slowly nodded in response to Patch’s previous proposal and looked down at the teen helplessly curled up against him for comfort and security.  
       “Maxi we have to go,” He gently informed her, pulling back and framing her face with his hands as he tried to make her look at him through still misty eyes. “Whoever was at the site last night is still looking for us, we need to keep moving…”  
       “I-I can’t…” She sobbed breathlessly, shaking her head as he nodded his own in response and soothingly stroked her cheek with his thumb.  
       “Yes you can, you have to…”  
       “N-No I can’t…”  
       “ _Yes, you can._ ”  
       The stern tone had returned, but it held a twinge of reassurance and fear that made her pause to meet his eyes. He was terrified, trying his best to hide the fear radiating from within as he silently pleaded for her to listen to reason. It was more for his own sake than hers, but she knew his actions had reason to be acknowledged nonetheless.  
       “I know it hurts and I know it’s scary,” He admitted shakily as he dried what few tears that remained with his thumbs before continuing. “But we have to go… You have to get up, and we have to keep moving  _right now_ , okay…? We have to keep moving like Fern wanted…”  
       “...O-Okay…” She reluctantly agreed, her voice soft and barely audible against the shots growing closer to their location as he carefully helped her onto wobbly legs.  
       No further words were spoken as he wrapped his arm around her for support and nodded to Patch to go ahead, rushing back into the snowblind wilderness as quickly as the three feet of snow would allow. The wind was deafening, and small chunks of ice pelted whatever exposed skin they had, but they pressed forward further and further from the nearing shots until only the howling prevailed. Inside their boots their feet screamed for warmth and a break from the constant strain, muscles struggling to keep up with their pushing the further they trekked blindly into the wilderness.  
       It all hurt beyond measure, but they refused to let the pain win out. The only thing their exhausted minds now registered was that they had to keep moving.  
       They had to trust in Fern to lead them, even in death.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello and thank you for all your support my lovely little doodles,  
> I love ya oodles and hope to see you next week!  
>  _~Mady Ranz~_
> 
> ~☆~
> 
>  _Fernanda Hermiss + Terach Hiscatch + Maxine Ryder_  
>  Black Box + Writing __  
>  **© Madyson Ranzenberger ******
> 
> _Patches Chrysler_  
>  **© McKayla Freeman ******


	7. Company Business

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “ _Time is a slippery thing. Lose hold of it once, and its string might sail out of your hands forever. _”__  
>  ― Anthony Doerr, ( _All the Light We Cannot See _)__

          It had been early morning on the third day of the delivery crew’s disappearance that Black Hat had allowed himself to venture down to the lab to extract a progress report from Flug, finding him to be dozing off between decoding scans. The eldritch had fought the impatient urge to gather one on the second day purely through the reminder that he had a reputation to maintain, one that could care less about a mere delivery crew and wasting resources on it at that. However, that reminder had waned in strength and drive by midnight, leaving him alone with the troubled thoughts he believed to have escaped that first night until they had become too much to ignore that morning. With the unknown preying on his mind, he had quietly left his office and navigated the silent moonlit halls at the slowest pace he could force himself to maintain in search of some semblance of an answer. Unfortunately, if he was honest, he had expected to find the young scientist in a better state than he had.  
          His lack of sleep was evident even before entering the dimly lit laboratory, hunching over his keyboard and hardly lifting his head to examine all of the monitors due to exhaustion that had set in from previous hours of the practice. Once up close, his fatigue only became more prominent in the dark bags growing beneath his eyes and the seemingly unfocused stare he maintained behind his goggles as the mismatched pair scoured over each line of code for results. When something jumped out his heavy hand would scrawl something out in unintelligible scribbles on a quickly filling notepad, motor skills becoming compromised quicker than usual due to hunger and dehydration. As it usually was with more impending projects, any sustenance brought to him was ignored, including his typically unignored mugs of coffee in this case. The sour and festering stench that had begun to waft of his lab coat alone told the tale of his additional lack of hygiene, and the toll his failure to intake liquids was starting to take on his organs.  
          Without his body in proper shape to detect such things, he hadn’t noticed Black Hat had entered and was standing beside him until he’d felt a hand on his shoulder, never mind the seven times the demon had cleared his throat beforehand. If he had been more alert, perhaps he would’ve jumped at the contact, or at least given a stuttered greeting and an explanation of what he was doing. Instead, he merely glanced at his shoulder to see who its owner was before returning to his work, trying to piece together a decent response as he allowed himself to blink and clear some of the distance in his stare.  
          “...Yes sir…?” He inaudibly mumbled, scribbling down the last of a line before shakily flipping to a new page and starting the process anew.  
          “I came for results,” Black Hat returned, not surprised that he hadn’t received a proper greeting as he maintained an expression of annoyance and disapproval despite the knowledge that the doctor was in a delicate state. “But it appears as though you have come up with only a terribly poor excuse for progress regarding the matter.”  
          “I've deciphered the latitude, I… I-I just have to do the longitude…”  
          “Need I remind you, Flug; I allowed you exactly one week to spent on this asinine venture and you've already spent - or more accurately,  _wasted_  - three days deciphering a corrupted reading. That leaves you only four days to decipher the rest and organize an extraction operation, do you believe you can accomplish such a task in the time you have remaining?”  
          “...I don't have a choice…”  
          “What on Earth do-"  
          “I have to bring them home… If I don't they'll be forgotten, a-and they can't be… I can't let them be forgotten… They need to come home…”  
          Although questionable at times, Black Hat had never regarded his mental health as being fragmented as it was now. He had pushed aside his usual nervous fidgeting and quick stuttered movements for precision and focus, falling into a state of broken thoughts and actions coming and going too quickly to recognize fully. His natural instincts for survival were surely screaming at him beneath the surface, but he paid them no mind as he pushed forward toward the result he desired. If his actions weren't enough to lead one to this conclusion, his words certainly were. He was speaking as though it was his life on the line over the matter, and to some degree, the eldritch considered the assumption to be correct.  
          In addition to being loyal employees, the delivery team had easily become members of their company family. Their constant travels aside, they had always been about the manor in some fashion since their consolidation, whether it be for deliveries or simply a visit for the day. It had become protocol for them to make an appearance there at least once a week, in fact, but not by his orders. That ruling belonged to the spirit of guidance he now spoke to in the void, just as all affection-based matters concerning them seemed to.  
 _You know as well as I do that she can handle herself_ , Black Hat's thoughts murmured in response to Flug's worries, reminding him of the relationship held previously between his scientist and the pilot.  _I wouldn't have placed her in charge of everyone's security if she couldn't… Fernanda has to be alive and bringing them home as we speak, she has a vow to fulfill to us both concerning the matter._  
          Disagreements aside, he valued Fern as more than merely an exemplary employee or even a kindred companion, far more. She was responsible for shaping the absurdly determined mad genius before him, and for keeping his team as a whole alive at this juncture due to her affection for them. If he was honest, he technically owed her everything he now possessed in life surrounding his company - especially the people in it.  
          “You need to stop worrying about them so profusely,” He falsely ground out between clenched fangs, speaking more to himself than anything as he watched the scientist's brow furrow with concern and hurt. “She - and the rest of that band of misfits, lest you forget them - are not that large of a concern. If they are alive-”  
          “I'm not going to stop until I find them,” Flug interrupted with a slightly bitter bite to his words as his eyes flickered back up to the demon’s face. “A-And Fern is the  _least_  of my concerns right now; I know she can take care of herself perfectly fine out there in these sort of situations… I-It's the others that can't and-"  
          “ _If they are alive…_  Miss Hermiss will ensure they all survive; it is what she's paid to do, after all. I am sure you know to focus on completing your work rather than hers along with it right now, don't you?”  
          “...Yes, sir…”  
          He hadn't wished to scold the scientist through his tone as firmly as he had, but it was a natural exchange between the two that he found hard to combat at the moment. If he were to decipher the code and locate the team as he promised, he would have to push his worries aside for the time being and focus. Perhaps it wasn't the gentlest and most supportive way of coaxing a proper work performance from him, but Black Hat didn't have the time nor the reputation to spare for such an approach. He was desperate for results, and therefore it was required for him to be demanding.  
          “I expect more fruitful results to be waiting the next time I visit,” He muttered, trying to hide his yearning for such a thing as he turned for the door in a manner one would read as having other business to attend to rather than impatient pacing. “And for hell’s sake, at least  _attempt_  to take care of your pathetic being in some manner, you are no good to any of us dead or hospitalized.”  
          “...As you wish,  _sir,_ ” The doctor returned, still sour in tone as he dug his pen further into the paper with each new code his heavy eyes detected. “I wouldn’t want to ‘inconvenience' our wretched, unworthy clientele…”   
          “Business is business Flug,  _that_  is what you shouldn’t be forgetting.”  
          With that final word, the eldritch left the scientist alone to continue his work, now fueled by his hatred toward the bitter words exchanged between the two. In due time he would produce the results he wanted, he merely had to give him time and push him on in whatever way he deemed necessary, but it was the question of how much time that he truly struggled with. Although he had hated to admit it, Flug had been correct in his fears for the other members of the delivery team, especially the two teenagers. Depending on the location of the crash, it would take a little more than Fern’s assistance to pull them through, and if his trip into the shadow-sphere had been any indication, they even lacked that last he knew. Time was of the essence, and that which he had given Flug was running out.  
          At this realization a destitute sigh left his lips into the silence of the corridor, briefly distracting him from the troubles of irritating the young man as he gave pause to ponder the solitude in the hallway. It was normal to have Demencia running up and down them giggling to herself over some ridiculous venture, but his trip to the laboratory had been relatively silent save for the distant noise of the city. If nothing else, she could usually be expected to be pining for him in some odd fashion, never mind his annoyance with it. Now that he truly thought over it, however, he hadn’t even seen 5.0.5 out and about cleaning as he tended to do in the mornings. The manor was utterly silent, yet his brain refused to cease its screams of warning.  
          In the same quick-paced walk he had maintained earlier, he explored the halls in search of the remaining two employees, merely glancing into rooms as he passed to not seem as urgent when they were found. Room after room was bypassed until he made his way past the vast living room, spotting them both on the couch when his eye flitted into it and recognized their signature bright colorations. The reptilian hybrid was sprawled out as far as she could be across the cushions while the bear lay by her side on the floor, both looking longingly at the walls and ceiling as she stroked the fur between his ears around his flower. Unlike Flug, they perked up and turned their attention to him when he cleared his throat the first time.  
          “What in hell’s name are you two doing?” He asked honestly, sounding admittedly more disgusted and disappointed than he had planned to.  
          “Since there’s no stuff to sell we have to do something that’s not work,” Dem informed him with a half-hearted shrug as she attempted to give a false grin that in turn quickly faded as she continued. “But since they’re not here we have nothing to do.”  
          “What can the Wingnuts  _possibly_  have to do with you entertaining your small minds?”  
          “They usually play games or watch movies with us, but it’s not the same with only two of us.”  
          “There are three of-”  
          “We can’t bother Flug right now; he’s trying to get them back.”  
          The rate at which the sentence had left her lips had been astounding, her eyes flying back to the ground as not to lock with his. Although she often made it a point not share them with the world, Demencia had a wide range of emotions and feelings built up within her despite her ditzy demeanor. She wasn’t skilled at masking them all just yet as he had just discovered, but she tried her best with what little understanding she had with them, and that was usually enough to have the negative subjects dropped. It was perhaps her quiet wish for comfort regarding the delivery team that drew 5.0.5 to her that day, knowing he wouldn’t ask and instead listen if she needed him to.   
          In truth, the bear was as helpless and at a loss for what to do to help them as Black Hat was.  
          “Very well then,” He murmured with uncertainty, straightening the lapels of his jacket as he attempted to form a proper convincible response. “Just see to it that this manor is spotless before nightfall, a lack of entertainment or companionship is no excuse for laziness.”  
          She offered only an unintentionally curt nod of understanding as 5.0.5 gave a small coo as his response, nuzzling up into her hand with a soft look of apology and reassurance. He rolled his eye and gave a small growl of disapproval to test their reactions to his venomous tone, but they didn’t pay him any more mind as they became lost in the wallpaper once more and he returned to the hall. Their focus was somewhere else, somewhere far from home and on those who were supposed to be safely within it.   
          Alone once more in the corridor, he found his own focus quickly becoming lost on the missing team, refusing to push the turmoil inducing thoughts away for just a moment of clarity in the span of the past three days. He required guidance, and not only with locating the team, but also with what would have to be done if locating them lead to another set of problems he wasn’t capable of handling. In his mind lay answers that failed to seem right or rational, only foreign and wrong in the presence of the spirit now residing within the comforting realm. The truth now clear to him was that the answers he would be seeking weren’t his, or even the realm’s. They were hers.  
 _It’s time I return to you Miss Hermiss_ , His mind whispered as he closed his eye and began to wade into the vast lilac void slowly coming to rest behind his eyelid.  _Are you still waiting to return to me…?_  
          “... _Help_ …” Her voice faintly drifted through the haze in response, drawing him further into the void as an image began to form through the haze.  
          “Miss Hermiss…?” He absently asked, brow furrowing as a deep red began to cloud the soothing color, spreading as though it were blood being carried away by the sea.  
          “... _Help me_ …”  
          “What do you-”  
          The words became caught in his throat as a sharp pain pierced through his chest, paralyzing him as his eyes widened upon fully processing the scene laid out before him. She was there just as she had been before, vivid enough to be alive and breathing if he allowed himself to reach out and touch her. Her hair - although longer since he’d last seen her - was haloed around her ashen face as her haunting daffodil eyes locked with his, pleading for him to free her from the frozen state she now seemed to be in. Every feature was etched with terror, and her words spoke this in volumes.  
          She was immobile, strapped down and strewn out upon the cold metal slab of a now abandoned operating table, staining it in a rich crimson that seemed almost black within the void’s lighting. The lone arm that had been freed no hung limply off the table as though it were lead, scarlet streaming from various incisions and stitched up gashes riddling her pale body as her heart struggled to palpate. From her vivisected abdomen, various organs were pulled from their sheltered home to be strung about her chest and legs in discarded piles, bloodied surgical tools forgotten by her side as the floor turned into an ocean of crimson. It was as though she were a test subject for a twisted biology class, one that had been insignificant enough to watch squirm beneath their knives.  
          “... _Please_ …” She pleaded once more, limp arm shakily reaching for him as her fading heartbeat could be heard pounding within his ears.  
          Instincts overrode his initial fear as he lurched forward to answer her desperate begging, grasping her icy hand briefly before the image crumbled away and he was jolted back into the mortal realm. His breathing was erratic as he as his hand closed around emptiness and clenched into a fist, shaking at the lingering touch of her slick skin against his glove. Quickly his eye darted up and down the hall to ensure his solitude before he let himself collapse back against the wall, the horrifying image now staining his mind as he trained his wide eye on the ground past the fist. In the unfocused blur of his farsighted vision he could make out a dark, gritty substance seeping through his tightened grip in the fabric, but he refused to let his mind dwell any further on its origin.  
          There wasn’t even enough time left in this universe’s lifespan to convince himself who it belonged to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello and thank you for all your support my lovely little doodles,  
> I love ya oodles and hope to see you next week!  
>  _~Mady Ranz~_
> 
> ~☆~
> 
>  _Fernanda Hermiss + Terach Hiscatch + Maxine Ryder_  
>  Black Box + Writing __  
>  **© Madyson Ranzenberger ******
> 
> _Patches Chrysler_  
>  **© McKayla Freeman ******


	8. ANNOUNCEMENT - 4/21

Ladies and gentlemen, tonight I come with a message for all of you wonderful heroes, sensational villains, and marvelous citizens out there watching in on my little puppet show of sorts...

  
        Unfortunate as it may be for some of you to hear, I wasn't able to produce a new chapter for you all tonight on account of family and friends time capturing all of my attention. Starting this weekend, it is safe to assume that every weekend following this message will be spent out of town for this time and therefore away from the equipment I use to edit and post as well. Other factors such as my work schedule and personal affairs may also begin to detract from my time spent spinning this tale, that is sadly an inevitability.  
        However, do not despair my lovelies, my missing one chapter isn't the end of all things. If I do happen to miss the deadline previously set for me from this moment on, I will make it my mission to post the missing chapter - which will replace messages such as this so they are all kept in proper order -  _and_  a new one the following week. It will take far more than a small scheduling setback to deterr this weaver of fate from finishing a story, especially one with so much still in store...  
        I hope you all aren't too upset by this series of unfortunate events, or with me for being unprepared for them. As you all may know by now, sometimes fate has different plans than the ones we so desperately try to make happen for ourselves. Nevertheless, I thank you all immensely for your understanding and continued support for this performance. I hope to speak to you all again rather soon darlings - and hopefully on better terms next time, hm?  
  


Sincerely and ever lovingly your puppeteer,  
 ****Star Strings~ ☆


End file.
